Elizabeth Darrell

Elizabeth Darrell (1513-1556) was the long-term mistress and muse of Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Biography
Elizabeth Darrell was the daughter of the Chamberlain of Queen Catherine of Aragon, and she served the Marchioness of Dorset before becoming a maid of honor to Queen Catherine. When Catherine died in 1536, she left Darrell money for her marriage, and Darrell abandoned her earlier plans to become a Catholic nun. In 1537, she became the mistress of Queen Anne Boleyn's cousin and former lover, Thomas Wyatt, and their illegitimate son Edward was executed in 1554 for taking part in a failed rebellion. She died in 1556 at the age of 42.